


This Ride is a Wild One

by crushondeanlikeafairy



Series: Echo Park Is No Fun [1]
Category: S.W.A.T. (TV 2017)
Genre: A Bit Not Good, Case Fic, Chris is a good friend, Gen, Kidnapping, Serial Killer, Street Whump, Team Bonding, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-19 08:13:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17597591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crushondeanlikeafairy/pseuds/crushondeanlikeafairy
Summary: There's a mysterious kidnapper taking hostages in LA. It isn't a S.W.A.T. case, until he takes someone they care about.





	1. Echo Park

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from the All Time Low song "Missing You"  
> This is my first multi-chapter SWAT fic so let's see how this goes.

The sun was just setting in the sky when Chris stepped out of the precinct. The team had gotten lucky and finished up the day's work early. It was a rarity and she intended to make the most of it. She hadn't been able to spend much time with Kira and Ty lately and had some catching up to do. Pausing for a moment in the parking lot, Chris pulled out her phone.

_'I can make it to date nite!'_

She waited a moment, appreciating the sunset before a sharp 'ding' brought her attention back to the screen.

_'Yay!! This just got 10x better!'_

Chris laughed softly. She had to admit that she was skeptical about this relationship at first, everyone who knew her knew that, but it was working out pretty well all things considered. Right before turning off her phone, a news alert popped up on her screen.

' _Bruce Pangetti found alive after father, Vince, pays Echo Park Kidnapper's ransom.'_

They'd found one. That was a relief. The Echo Park Kidnapper had taken thirteen people so far and, until Bruce, nobody had been found, dead or alive. This perp was unique in that he didn't ask for money, per se. He asked for everything the family had. Rich or poor. It didn't matter to him, he wanted everything. Some had refused to pay, others had tried but the kidnapper didn't find their 'sacrifice' great enough. The detectives working the case were pretty certain the guy was trying to prove a point, but what that point was they weren't sure yet. They hadn't found anything yet either, the kidnapper was careful and so far hadn't left anything behind. Not even witnesses. Each successive disappearance sent a nail through Chris' heart and she hoped that Bruce being let go would finally lead them to something.

Someone grabbed her shoulders and shook her, shouting 'boo!' and causing her phone to slip out of her fingers. Street bent down and caught her phone right before it hit the ground, handing it back to her.

"Oh, you are so lucky my phone didn't break or you would never get to use that hand again," she laughed, pocketing the device.

"Sorry, my bad. I didn't realize you were holding it," he put both his hands into his pockets, "I'm gonna head to Stubby's for a drink, care to join?"

Chris grimaced, "Ah, I can't. Date night. Raincheck?"

"Hey, it's cool! Go have fun!" he leaned in and gave her a quick good-bye hug, "I'll drink a few for ya."

"Not too many!" Chris scolded to his back as her friend headed off into the parking lot.

He shouted back over his shoulder, "No promises!"

Chris huffed a quiet laugh to herself, going to find her truck. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't been able to see much of Street lately either, outside of work that is. She made a mental note to hang out with him sometime soon.

The next morning she had a piercing headache. Admittedly, she had probably had a little too much to drink at dinner with Ty and Kira. But they were celebrating her actually being able to make it for once. Chris counted herself lucky in retrospect. It was hard to find someone who was okay with the long hours she worked, let alone two. It was a pretty cool thing they had going on.

She headed into the locker room to change into uniform and put her stuff away. The boys were already there, apart from Street who tended to be the last one to arrive. She did find it odd today though. Ever since he had been reinstated, but on probabtion, he had made sure to get there before everyone else. Apart from Luca of course, who got roped into arriving early since they carpool now. Chris presumed that he too had had a few too many the night before and was just running a little late.

"Hey, Luca," Tan asked, "You didn't come in with Street this morning?"

"Nah, man. Not today. He didn't come home last night," Luca responded from his locker, casting a cheesy smile to the group, "I'm just glad I got to sleep in for once. The dude gets here insanely early."

Hondo shut his locker, turning to join the conversation, "What do you mean he didn't come home last night?"

Luca was about to answer, but Chris felt like now was a good time to butt in, "He went out for a few drinks last night. Maybe he met someone?"

"He'll probably be here in a few minutes," Deacon said.

"Well, we can't wait for him," Hondo commanded, "Alright, let's see if they got anything for us."

The day moved on and Street never showed. During off moments, Chris tried calling him a few times and she caught Luca texting him under a table once. Hondo was getting aggravated the say the least. She could see him trying to juggle being both angry with and worried about Street. He wasn't sure the reason why their teammate wasn't there. They're hoping he's safe, but also hoping he has a damn good reason for not even calling. Presently, they were all sitting at the tables in the main room, filling out their after-action paperwork.

"Guys," Tan said, staring at the door through the corrugated wall, surprise on his face, "Check this out."

"Oh, yea," Luca answered, standing up as their guest spotted them and came toward them, "Something is definitely wrong."

The uniformed officer from the front desk was escorting Karen Street through the precinct. She was visibly shaken up, even from a distance. The team all stood and moved toward her.

"Thanks, we got this," Hondo said, dismissing the escort. Then he spoke directly to their guest, "What are you doing here?"

Chris did not miss the contempt in his voice.

"Have any of you heard from Jimmy?" she asked. Her hands were shaking and it was then Chris noticed the paper in her hands.

"Not that it's any of your business," Luca answered snidely, "But, no. He didn't come into work today."

"What's going on?" Chris asked, willing to give the woman a chance. She had to have shown up for a good reason.

Without a word, Karen handed Chris the paper in her hands. The S.W.A.T. team member looked down at the sheet, gasping and bringing a hand up to cover her mouth.

"Oh my God," she whispered, turning the page so the others could read.

_"I have something of yours I think you want back._

_A simple question really. What is your child worth to you?_

_I'm not asking for much. Just everything."_

"This sounds familiar," Tan muttered.

"Because you've read before. On the news," Chris said, looking up at the group, "This is the ransom note the Echo Park Kidnapper sends to his victim's parents."

Everyone was dead silent, even the hum of the precinct being drowned out by the weight of the truth they were now faced with.

"He has Street."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bum-bum-bummmmm  
> Hope you enjoyed! If you wanna see more, I'll try and post by Thursday.


	2. Stubby's

 

"Ok, first things first," Hondo said, immediately going into game-mode, "When and where did you receive this letter?"

"I- I don't know," Karen answered shakily, "It was taped to my door this afternoon when I got home from work. I don't know when they could have put it there. I tried calling Jimmy all day, I was hoping this was some kind of joke, but I never got any answer."

"Have you seen or heard anything suspicious lately?"

"Nothing."

"Alright, Chris," Hondo continued, turning to the woman in question, "Where did Street say he was going last night?"

"A bar called Stubby's... in Echo Park."

"Let's go check it out."

The team started to head out to grab their gear but were halted when Street's mother called after them.

"What do I do? Should I pay? What does he mean by everything?"

Hondo strode back toward her, "No, don't pay. Not yet. I'm not the one working this care, but from what I know, this guy has turned down most ransom's sent to him. It's some sort of test for you and we don't know what he does with the hostages if you fail. I'll call the detectives working this case, and see what they know already. But in the meantime, go home in case this guy tries to contact you again. We'll handle this. We'll find him."

She nodded quietly, looking like she had a few choice words to say. Some argument as to how she was suited to help. But instead, she turned and headed back out the way she had come. Hondo came back to the team.

"Deac, I need you to go find Cortez and let her know what's going on. Tell her to call whoever it is that's presently working on this case. Let 'em know that one of ours was taken. Luca, I want you to go home and look around. See if maybe Street was taken from there. The rest of us are going to check out Stubby's, see what we can dig up."

Everyone nodded in understanding, then broke the huddle to head out on their respective tasks.

It was late in the afternoon by the time Hondo, Tan, and Chris arrived at Stubby's. The bar was closed still, they had another hour before it was due to open, but fortunately, the owner was inside. He was cleaning glasses when they walked through the door. The owner was a gruff looking, older man. His hair was gray but he seemed to have been able to keep a full head of it.

"Read the sign, fellas. We're closed," he didn't look up from his project as he spoke.

"LAPD. We need to ask you a few questions."

Now he did look up, taking in their uniforms. He carefully set the glass and rag down on the counter, holding his hands up to show they were empty.

"I don't know what this is about, but I haven't broken any laws."

"We know," Hondo said, stopping just short of the counter, "We just want to know if you maybe saw anything suspicious last night."

"Like what?"

Chris pulled out her phone, pulling up a selfie she'd taken with Street just the other day, "Was this man in here last night?"

The man, Reggie according to his name tag, leaned in close and squinted at the screen, "Yea I remember him. He sat right over there at the end of the bar."

"Was he alone?" Tan asked.

"Yea. He was talking to me the whole night. Jim I think was his name? Nice kid."

"Did he leave with anyone?"

"I don't think so. But then, I don't see much that happens beyond the bar. We could've met someone outside."

"Do you have security cameras?"

"A few. Mostly on the bar to protect the liquor and the register. I have one on the front and back door though."

"We're going to need to see last night's footage," Hondo demanded.

"Hey, look, I try and keep a good bar here. I think I'm going to ask you to come back with a warrant. I don't want to be incriminating myself. And I certainly don't need my clientele to think I'm selling them out to the cops.

Chris leaned against the counter, her eyes pleading, holding up the picture again, "Please, we're not here to arrest anybody or anything like that. This man? He's our friend and we think he was taken from here last night. You heard of the Echo Park Kidnapper?"

When recognition flashed through the man's eyes, she knew she had him.

"We promise, anything unsavory we see on the footage will be overlooked. We just want to find our friend."

Reggie looked from one face to the other until his eyes landed back on Chris, "Alright. But you gotta be out of here before my customers start showing up."

"Deal."

Chris stood, pocketing her phone, and they all followed Reggie to the back room to the computer. He logged them on and pulled up the videos, before leaving to finish up his pre-opening checklist.

"Alright, there he is at the bar," Tan commented, pointing Street out on the screen. He sped up the footage until Street stood and left. He walked out the front door and began walking toward the parking lot. A man in a hoodie and sunglasses exited shortly afterward and followed Street off camera.

"You think that's our guy?" Tan asked.

"Hard to tell," Hondo answered, "If he is, everything happened off camera. Chris, did he ride his bike here?"

"I think so. I didn't see him leave yesterday on it, but it's possible."

"Okay. Tan, send that footage back to base. Chris, let's go check out the parking lot and see what we can find."

"Yes, sir."

Hondo and Chris headed outside and Chris immediately spotted it.

"Hondo, that's his bike!"

Sure enough, Street's motorcycle was still parked in the empty lot. The only vehicle there except for what Chris assumed was Reggie's car.  She walked over to the bike and spotted something shiny on the ground. Bending down to pick it up, she realized it was Street's keys.

"Hondo, look."

"Dammit," he muttered under his breath. Then his phone started ringing. He answered and put it on speaker for Chris to hear, "Hey, Deac. What's up?"

"Cortez called the detectives on the case. They apparently called the feds in last week after the twelfth person went missing. It took some convincing but they said they'll let us help as long as we don't let our personal feelings get in the way."

"Done."

"They're sending an agent over with some of their files to catch us up. She'll be here in about an hour."

"Alright, we're just about done here."

"Did you find anything?"

"Street was definitely taken from here. His bike is still in the parking lot and Chris found his keys. We think we might have some footage if the kidnapper but it'll be impossible to get an ID from it."

"That's a good step though! The feds told me they haven't been able to get the guy on camera at all."

"I just hope it's enough, cause right now it's all we have to go on. See you back at HQ."

"Local law enforcement must be pretty worried if they called in the FBI," Chris observed, casting a concerned look at Hondo.

"Well, counting Street, fourteen people have been taken by this guy. Only one has been found. They probably just needed some fresh eyes. Extra help is never a bad thing. But now we're on it. Don't worry, Chris. We'll find him and bring him home."

"I know."

"Good. Now let's go get our boy back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is early! Cause my class got canceled today. I'll still try to update tomorrow anyway, so consider this a bonus chapter XD


	3. Queensway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three chapters in three days? I'm on a roll!

The team met back at base, and Chris could feel the nervous energy in the precinct. Mumford and his team were talking with Captain Cortez when they entered. As soon as they were spotted, Mumford made his way over and clapped a hand on Hondo's shoulder.

"Let us know if you need help with anything. Chasing down a lead. Anything."

"Thanks, Mumford."

Everyone was worried about Street, Chris could feel it. Even those who didn't work with him directly. It kinda made Chris want to laugh, realizing just how big of a 'family' her teammate had. He tended to think he was alone, but that just wasn't true. He was so kind and inviting. He made people feel like they belonged, even when he himself did not. That meant a lot to people, that warmth he exuded. Chris knew that everyone in that precinct would do everything they could to bring him back. And if that wasn't family, she wasn't really sure what was.

Jessica came over as Mumford's team exited, on their way out to stop a shooting threat in Downtown LA. She had a woman that Chris hadn't seen before with her, the FBI agent. She was short, shorter than Chris for sure, with chestnut hair pulled back into a prim ponytail. She was dressed in a navy two-piece suit, with a white button-up under her jacket. The agent had a stack of folders in her arms and despite her neat appearance, Chris could see she was a little frazzled. A lot of pressure was on her shoulders.

"This is Special Agent Laura Ashburn. She's one of the agents assigned to the case," Jessica said by way of greeting, "Ashburn, this is Hondo, and his team, Officers Kay, Alsonso, Tan, and Luca."

Ashburn stepped forward and shook Hondo's hand, "Pleasure to meet all of you. I understand the latest victim was a teammate of yours?"

"Yes, Jim Street," Hondo answered, "Last night, from a bar called Stubby's. We have some video footage. Grainy, but it could be helpful."

"Honestly, anything will help. Since you guys are working this case, I'm gonna skip the motivational speech we use for the families. This doesn't look good. Fourteen people gone and we have nothing. Not so much as a witness statement."

"What about the one he let go?" Luca asked, "The Pangetti kid?"

"Not much help. He doesn't remember anything. Didn't see anything," Ashburn handed one of the files she was holding over to Hondo, "He was only missing a day. All he knows is he was walking home from work, then he woke up in total darkness. Next thing, he was at the entrance to the Elysian Park hiking trail."

Hondo flipped through the manila folder, "What did the parents pay anyway? First ransom this guy accepted?"

"Yea, the first. So far, only two families have refused to pay. All the others were simply rejected. He sent a note saying it wasn't enough. The Pangetti's were a poor family, didn't have much. They don't even own their house. They offered up their car and every penny they had in their bank account. A whole $310."

"That's it? That's all he wanted?" Tan asked.

"That's the thing. The rich families, they offered thousands. He turned it down. But the Pangetti's it literally was everything. The car was the way Vince Pangetti gets to work, 15 miles away. They have nothing now, but they got their son back."

"So he's trying to prove a point?" Chris asked, "That... what? The people are more important than the objects?"

"That's what we think. But we have no way of knowing. Beyond the initial ransom not and the rejection letter, he doesn't communicate. No explanation, nothing."

"Okay," Deacon said, "This can't be exactly random then, can it? For him to know exactly what it is the family has?"

"We think he plans ahead of time. But it's also possible he finds their ID in their wallet and tracks the family down through that. If he's got basic computer skills, he'd be able to figure out their financial situation very quickly."

"So there really is nothing to go on," Hondo said, shutting the folder and handing it around for the team to check out.

"Yup. We tried tracking victim's cells, but they're shut off. We haven't even found any bodies. He's either really good at hiding them, or holding onto them for some reason."

"He hasn't given anyone a time frame?" Tan asked.

"No. A simple note asking for everything."

"Okay, what can we do?" Hondo asked.

"Listen, I know you guys want to help. And I'm willing to allow that. I could honestly use the boots on the ground. But I need your word that no personal feelings will get in your way. I have thirteen missing people to find, no idea how many of them are even still alive. That needs to be the focus. If I even think that your judgment is clouded I will pull your access so quickly-"

"We understand, ma'am," Hondo assured, "We promise nothing but professionalism."

"Alright," Ashburn nodded, "Then let's do this."

* * *

 It was a long day at work. Suffice to say, Chris missed dinner with Kira and Ty again. She felt awful about it, but her best friend was missing and she didn't plan on sleeping until he had been found. Luckily, the pair were very understanding of the situation and left the conversation off with a 'be safe' and then moved on. The bonus of being in a polyamorous relationship was that when she couldn't make it to things, they still had each other.

Hondo had been right, the grainy footage didn't help much. Except now they knew the exact time Street had been taken. 1:32 a.m. They also had a good height estimate and knew the perp was caucasian. That did narrow it down a little bit, though not by much. There were hundreds of thousands of six-foot-tall white guys in Los Angeles.

"Ok, so maybe if we can figure out why this guy is doing this or how he picks his victims, we'll get a hint?" Luca suggested, "What do you have so far?"

"Well, we know he's very particular about what he accepts as ransom. If a millionaire gives him a few thousand, he won't take it. But that family that gave him only a few hundred got their son back. Maybe a commentary on the rich being selfish?" Chris suggested.

"We don't think so," Ashburn answered, "Usually guys like that are way more vocal about it. They have manifestos, public messages. This seems more private. He's keeping to himself as much as possible."

"Alright," Deacon said, "So it's not about wealth. It's about what is more important to the individual. He's only taken people's kids?"

"Yea. I mean, they're all adults. But he takes someone and then demands ransom from the parents."

"Ok," he continued," Then maybe that's what it's about? Maybe his parents were in a similar situation once, money or him, and they chose the money?"

"That could make sense," Ashburn agreed, bringing her hand up to rub her chin thoughtfully, "What kind of situation could that possibly be?"

"No," Chris muttered, then speaking up to the group, "That doesn't fit. He's just proving that his parents were right. He's being way too picky about what the ransom is if he was trying to prove they were wrong."

"That's it!" Ashburn announced, "He was the parent! He chose his possessions over his kid. He's trying to prove he was right. That has to be it."

Hondo turned to Tan, "Go get Dr. Wendy, have her come in here and look at this. See if Chris is right. And we'll sift through any recent cases that fit the motive, see what triggered this. We'll need her to confirm."

"On it, boss," and Tan ran from the room to find her.

They pulled an all-nighter and it was well into the next morning when Luca finally found something. 

"I got it!"

The team, Agent Ashburn and Dr. Wendy all crowded around the screen he held in his hands. He had some security footage of a car crash.  A red SUV was against the wall of the bridge, front-end entirely obliterated. The driver shoved the door open, stumbling out onto the street. His forehead was bleeding from where his head must've slammed into the steering wheel before the airbag deployed. Movement on the passenger side told the team that someone was stuck in the car. The man leaned back into the car and grabbed a briefcase, shouting something at the other person in the car. The video had no audio, so nobody could hear what it was. The flames in the front of the car rose higher, and the man turned and ran, leaving the passenger inside. A moment later, the SUV exploded and the video cut out.

"That man is Pete Russell. Forty-two years old. His twenty-year-old son was in the passenger seat, as you can see, he didn't make it out. They were in the process of purchasing a house, Pete grabbed the paperwork and left his kid. Now, this happened on Queensway Bridge in Long Beach, but the Russell's new house... that's in Echo Park."

Dr. Wendy stared at the now blank screen for a moment, then stood up straight, "That has to be him. That's the one I've seen that fits the best."

"Well, he's worth talking to at least," Hondo said, "Luca, pull up his address. Let's move out."

"I'll call my team," Ashburn responded, heading out of the room as she pulled out her phone. 

* * *

 

The drive to the Russell's home was a quiet one. They were all tense. Ashburn brought along the two agents that had come to Los Angeles with her, Knicky and Brent. They seemed a little green to Chris, a little nervous, but she supposed they could use all the help they could get.

Black Betty pulled up a block away from the house, not wanting to alert the Pete Russell if he was home. They all hopped out, grabbing their gear.

"Alright, Ashburn. This is your op," Hondo said, deferring to her.

She nodded back, hopping to command quickly, "Ok, my agents and I will knock on the door. See if Russell is home, and hopefully talk to him for a little bit. Find out if he reads anything fishy. Hondo, I want your team to cover all possible exits, in case he tries to make a run for it. Everybody, stay alert and stay sharp. Let's go."

Hondo's team got in position and signaled to Ashburn over the radio that they were ready.

"Copy," she said and a moment later they heard a knock, followed by, "Pete Russell, FBI. We have a few questions to ask you."

Dead silence. The S.W.A.T. team tensed, ready for action.

"I got movement," Tan shouted as a woman came running out the back door. Chris came around the corner just as Tan tackled her to the ground, cuffing her.

"No, please. I'm sorry! I didn't know!" she shouted.

Tan helped her stand up and brought her around to the front of the house to meet the others. Hondo came up to her gesturing for Tan to let go of her.

"Didn't know what?" he demanded, "What's your name?"

The woman had tears in her eyes, her blonde hair in her face.

"K-kate. Kate Russell."

"You Pete's husband?"

She nodded shakily.

"Where is he?!" Ashburn shouted.

Kate cringed back, "I-I don't know. We got in a fight last night. I asked him where he got the car. I r-recognized it from the news. It belongs to that family that lost their son. H-he got all defensive. He said he did what he had to. That he earned it. He said that everyone would see that he was right. That he made the right choice."

"Mrs. Russell, what happened?" Chris asked softly, trying to calm the woman down.

"He killed my son," she broke out sobbing, "Because of the stupid paperwork! H-he didn't go back for our child! I asked him what he'd done... he took those people!"

She lost control and fell to the floor, tears streaming down her face.

"I d-did... I didn't know! I cou-couldn't... Oh my god!"

Chris knelt down beside her, unlocking the cuffs around her wrists. The woman immediately brought her hands forward to start tearing up handfuls of grass.

"Mrs. Russell," Chris began, waiting patiently until the woman looked up at her with watery eyes, "Please, do you have any idea where your husband would've gone?"

She was quiet for a minute, looking back down at the ground, "I don't know. After our fight, he left. He... he took that car though."

"The Pangetti's car?"

She sniffed, wiping her cheeks, "Is that their name? What's... what's the boy's name?"

"Bruce," Chris whispered.

She let loose one more sob, "Bruce," then she looked back up to Chris, pleading, "How could he do something like this? How could he cause those families to go through what we did? For what?! To prove a point?"

"We don't know, Mrs. Russell," Chris said, resting a hand on the woman's shoulder, "We can never really know why he does what he does. But we'll find him. And we'll find the people he's taken."

"Do you think they're still alive?"

"We have to assume so. We have to hope," Chris said, regarding the distraught woman for a moment, "Kate... this isn't your fault."

She nodded, wiping her nose with her hand, "Thank you."

"Mrs. Russell," Ashburn interjected, taking a step closer, "Would you mind if we look around your home? See if he left anything that'll help us locate him?"

The older woman nodded solemnly, letting Chris help her to her feet. Kate led the FBI agents inside. The S.W.A.T. team huddled closer.

"That was really good, Chris," Deacon praised, giving her a soft smile.

"What if she's right? What if-"

"No, Chris," Hondo interrupted, "Don't think like that."

"It's already been more than 24 hours. We have no idea how long he keeps them for. What he does when he doesn't get the ransom."

"You're right, we don't. But like you said, we have to assume they're alive," Hondo answered earnestly, "And we know who he is now. We'll find him. We'll find Street."

Chris nodded, staring down at her feet, kicking up the loose grass that Mrs. Russell had pulled loose, "How?"

"Maybe...," Luca suggested, "We pay?"


	4. Lincoln

"Are we sure this will work?" Karen Street asked as Chris knelt beside her to fit her with a wire.

"It's the best chance we have," she paused for a moment and looked up, "If you don't think you can do this..."

"No, I... I want to do this," Karen answered firmly, "I'm his mother. I owe him this much."

Chris nodded, finished taping up the wire, and stood. She led the other woman to where the team was gathered in the computer room.

"Okay," Hondo said right as they entered, "Let's go over the plan one more time."

Ashburn pulled up the files on the Pangetti case, "The back of every ransom note has a number to call if you want to pay. A different number every time, they're burners. We have Mrs. Street here call it and tell him she wants to pay. What happened with the Pangetti's was, he told them a time and place to meet. They left the money in the trunk, gave the guy the car, and he drove off with the goods. Few hours later, Bruce Pangetti was in the park."

"Why wasn't a sting set up then?" Deacon asked.

"The Mr. Pangetti didn't tell us he was planning on paying. By the time we found out, Bruce was already home safe and sound."

"This time though, we'll be there and we'll be ready," Hondo turned and handed Street's mother back the ransom note, "Dial that number."

The older woman nervously grabbed the paper and typed in the number.

"Karen Street."

The smooth, adenoidal voice filtered through the speakers. Karen looked up at the group, panicked for a moment, then cleared her throat and spoke.

"I- I want to pay."

"You wouldn't happen to be with the LAPD, now, would you?"

She was silent, glancing to Hondo. He gave her a wave to continue.

"No, of course not."

"Good. It's just, I know your son is a cop. Can't have the police interfering," Pete paused for a moment, "I'm sorry. If I had known he was I wouldn't have taken him. It's brought in a little too much trouble."

"Please, I just want my son back. How do I pay you?"

"Bring the ransom to Lincoln Park. Seven o'clock sharp. It'll be quiet then. If I really do give me everything, you'll have your son back by morning. And Karen, no police."

A click sounded, followed by the dial tone.

"Two hours," Ashburn said, "We've got two hours to set up a sting. There's a lot to do, so let's get moving."

Everyone rushed to get there gear and get to the park before Russell. They were in Black Betty and on their way in under 25 minutes.

"Hondo, what if this is a trap?" Deacon said to their leader in a hushed tone, "I mean, he knows Street is police. This park is only a 10-minute drive from headquarters. This guy is way too smart to overlook that."

"It might be, Deac. But what other choice do we have?" Hondo asked, looking around to the rest of the team, "We just need to be prepared in case it is. This guy's file says he's a computer programmer, and he's just one man. But we have to be prepared for more. We cannot let this go sideways."

"That explains how he found the vic's families," Luca said, "He didn't plan it out, he didn't know Street was a cop till he took him. He looks them up and finds their families online."

"He should've been planning. Because that mistake is about to be his last one," Chris vowed.

They arrived at the park, bringing Black Betty around back so they wouldn't be spotted. They need the element of surprise, and they were counting on Pete not arriving too early to scope out the terrain. Ashburn and her agents were plain clothes, and they pulled their sedan up in the front of the park. The plan was for S.W.A.T. to hide out in Black Betty unless anything went wrong. Ashburn and her team would scatter throughout the park to keep an eye on things, and Karen would arrive via Uber at seven.

It got darker in the sky, and nobody spotted Russell. As seven neared, the Uber arrived and dropped Street's mom off at the curb. They had told her to keep her purse easily visible, and to hold it tightly like it held valuables. If Russell had really done his homework, a briefcase would have tipped him off.

"I don't see him," she whispered nervously into the mic.

"Don't speak!" Hondo admonished, "You'll blow our cover."

"Mrs. Street," the voice from the phone sounded from the wire. The team didn't have a visual of the situation, they would have to wait for Ashburn's confirmation.

Karen spooked and spun around to face Russell.

"What do you have for me?"

"Well, I- I have..." she said, followed by the sound of rummaging in her purse, "This."

"Oooh. Cocaine. Not much," Russell hummed thoughtfully, "Although, I do suppose it is everything to you addicts, isn't it?"

"I'm not-"

"Uh-uh," the voice admonished, "None of that."

"We didn't give her that as the ransom," Chris whispered, "Where's Ashburn?"

"You see," Russell's voice continued, "I would consider accepting this if you hadn't led the police to my doorstep."

"We're blown," Hondo said, rising quickly, "Let's move!"

The team rounded the corner just as Ashburn's team was reaching the scene.

"FBI!" she shouted, "Karen, get down!"

It was then that Chris saw the man was reaching behind his back for something. He brought his hand forward, firearm pointed at the FBI agents. Karen dropped to the ground as commanded. Gunshots echoed through the park. Any civilians that had been loitering around ran for cover. And Pete Russell went down.

Chris ran to him, "No, no, no."

She went down to her knees, skidding across the grass, and reached toward him. Crimson was pouring from the wound in his chest. He coughed up more blood as he lay there on the ground.

"Where are they?!" Chris demanded, grabbing his jacket and shaking the dying man, "Where did you take them?!"

There was too much blood coming up his throat for him to speak, but he managed a smile and what she could've sworn was a laugh. Then his breath sputtered out and stopped. Chris dropped him to the ground roughly, rising and storming toward the FBI agents. Knicky was the one. She had seen it. The agent was unprepared for her to come after him and so didn't stop her when she grabbed him roughly by his bulletproof vest.

"You killed him!" She shouted, "How are we supposed to find them now?!"

"He- He was gonna shoot me!" The young man defended.

"So you shoot him in the leg! He was our only lead!" She pushed the agent to the ground. She started toward him again, ready to get in a few good punches.

"Chris!" Hondo admonished as Luca ran forward to grab hold of her, "This isn't helping!"

"Hondo," she breathed, "He was the only person who knew where they were."

"I understand that. But we can't change that now. We work with what we have."

Chris shoved Luca off of her and ripped off her helmet, "What we have now is nothing!"

"For now," Hondo said calmly, holding steady eye contact, "We'll figure it out. We always do. Now I need you to reign in your anger and use it for something productive!"

She nodded, shutting her eyes and taking a few deep breaths.

"I'm good. I'm sorry."

"Alright, let's head back to HQ and fill out our after-actions." 

* * *

 

The precinct was quiet. Most of the others teams had gone home and Chris and her team didn't feel much like talking. Ashburn apologized profusely for her agent's actions. Nobody could really stay mad about it though. Knicky had followed protocol and as much as it had royally messed up the case, he had done the right thing.

Deacon finished his paperwork and set it aside, "I'm sorry guys. I have to get going. The bosses haven't approved overtime and I can't afford to miss another moonlighting gig."

"Of course, Deac," Hondo said, addressing the group, "We're all going to go home. Shower, get some rest, and be back fresh in the morning."

Nobody felt right abandoning the case, albeit temporarily. But they all begrudgingly admitted that they would be better with a good night's sleep under their belts. They said their goodnights and each headed to the locker room. Chris was the last one inside. She grabbed her gym bag and headed toward the door, pausing in front of Street's locker. She looked at it sadly for a moment, then squared her shoulders.

"I'm not going to read your letter. I won't have to," she said firmly then flipped off the lights.


	5. Remming

Four days later, they hadn't found anything. Commander Hicks had removed them from the FBI case, saying he couldn't afford to be down a team anymore. Ashburn's own boss was ordering her and her men back to Quantico. The higher-ups seemed to be of the opinion that with Russell gone, the missing people had to be dead. They believed further investigation was a waste of manpower. Ashburn tried to argue the point, but she was overruled and instructed to be on a flight by the next morning.

The S.W.A.T. team weren't happy with the decision, suffice to say. But they had to follow orders and they had to face facts. None of them wanted to say it, but Street had been missing for five days. The odds of finding him alive getting smaller with each passing hour.

Chris couldn't bring herself to quit though. She went back to regular duties as told, but she still went over to Luca's every night and the pair spend their lunch breaks pouring over the files. And she was planning on doing so until they found anything that could lead them to the missing people. Lead them to Street. She had to follow protocol, she had to assume that they were alive until evidence was found to the contrary.

They were sitting in the lunch room, going over their data one more time.

"Ok," she set her sandwich down on the counter, "Let's figure out what we're missing."

Luca sat down in the chair across from hers, "We've gone over everything we have. This is a lot harder without Ashburn and her FBI access."

"I talked to Cortez, she said she can't stop us from looking in our off time. So she gave me copies of Ashburn's files."

Chris pulled the files from her bag, laying them out on the table.

"They said Russell didn't own any other properties. We checked out his previous address, there's already a new family living there. His current house was clean. The wife doesn't know anything," Chris went over the facts, "What else haven't we looked at? Where could he have been hiding fourteen people?"

"It'd have to be a big space if he's holding onto all of them," Luca theorized, "I'm assuming he's not so good at hiding bodies that nobody has found a single one. He's an amateur. He's got to be holding onto them."

"He took the first vic over three months ago. He took a new one every week or so, with the exception of Street. The family paid the ransom, he only had Bruce for a day."

"That threw off his pattern," Luca said, "Ok, so he holds onto them for a week?"

"Looks like. Alright, so he'd need someplace private. Quiet. Nobody would bother him. Somewhere he can go in and out of without question for months."

"There can't be that many places in LA."

Chris thought for a second, "What was his job again?"

Luca shifted through the papers until he found Russell's jacket, "Computer programmer."

"Where did he work?"

"Lancing Computer Tech in Echo Park."

"Yea, but he recently moved from Long Beach right? Why?" Chris asked, looking through the papers, "Where did he work?"

"Um..." Luca responded, "Got it! He used to work at Remming IT. But they shut down six months ago! That's why the Russells were moving to Echo Park! For the new job!"

"That's got to be it!" Chris shouted excitedly, jumping from her seat and gathering the files.

"But that's a long drive for him to be making with an unconscious person. It's forty-five minutes."

"Maybe, but it's all we got!" Chris said quickly, before running from the room with Luca close at her heels.

"Hondo!" they shouted in unison when they found him along with Tan and Deacon in the command center.

"Woa, woa, where's the fire?" he asked.

"We have a lead," Chris said breathlessly, "We think we know where Russell is holding them. You have to talk Hicks into letting us go!"

"No need," the man in question said, causing everyone to turn and face the doorway he had come through, "I wanted to see why you two were booking it so fast through my department. If you think you found em, go get em."

With no hesitation, the team took off to gather their gear.

"Thank you, sir," Deacon said over his shoulder as the team rushed out.

"Don't thank me," He called after them, "Just bring him back!" 

* * *

 

The old office building clearly hadn't been used in months. Neither had the two building beside it. Apparently, this area had been doing poorly financially for a while and all of the businesses on this street began shutting down one by one late last year. Remming IT had been the last to go. It would be the perfect place for Russell to bring the missing people.

"Alright, team," Hondo commanded as he led the team up the steps to the front door, "Russell's gone, but that changes nothing. Stay liquid."

"Got it, boss," Tan answered.

Deacon tested the front door, finding it already unlocked. He glanced questioningly at Hondo.

"Let's do this. Deac, take Tan with you and search the first floor. Chris and Luca, you're with me upstairs."

They all took to their respective floors. There was silence as the team searched for a few minutes, nothing but the occasional "Right side clear." It was chilly in the abandoned workplace and Chris was wishing she had brought her jacket right about then. As they walked down the hallway, Chris noticed a few of the doors had wooden planks nailed over them. They had just stopped to inspect the first one when the radio clicked.

"Hondo," Deacon's voice filtered through the comms, "You see any blocked doors on your end?"

"Yea, we just found one. Why?"

"Open them."

Hondo glanced at Luca and Chris, then setting his rifle down on the floor, "Luca, help me get these off. Chris, cover us."

It took a few minutes, but they managed to pry off all of the planks. Hondo slowly reached for the doorknob and turned it. As soon as the door was open, a rotting stench wafter over them and the trio had to bring their hands up to cover their nose. The door led into a small office. All of the furniture was gone, the windows had been boarded up and right behind the door was a prone man laying on the floor. It was hard to tell how old he was, he had been dead for a few weeks at least and his features were decayed and sloughing off his skull. There were bloody scratch marks on the inside of the door.

"Deac," Hondo said, slowly lowering his hand, "What did you find in that room?"

"A body," came the solemn reply.

"Yea, us too," he said back, staring at the corpse on the ground, before looking up to Chris and Luca, "Come on, let's check the others."

The next room was just like the last in layout except it didn't hold any person at all, dead or alive. After a brief look around, they found a broken window, the broken boards scattered across the floor. Luca peered out it only to report that there was a body on the ground level outside. Unlike the last person, this one had opted to risk self-defenestration rather than slowly starve to death. It didn't work for him, but Chris admired that no-quitting spirit.

"Is it..." she had to ask.

"Doesn't look like it from here. No. The guy's blond," Luca answered.

Chris felt a little selfish for breathing a sigh of relief.

"Deacon, Tan. Report."

"We've searched three offices and one supply closet. Corpses in all four," Tan replied. Even over the radio, he sounded horrified.

"This man was off his rocker," Luca whispered, "He wasn't just a kidnapper. He's a serial killer. You don't pay up, he just leaves them to die."

As he spoke, Luca was staring at the latest body they'd found in what appeared to have been the copy room. The look of disgust and sadness on his face was one Chris felt echoed in her own heart and one she was sure was plastered on her own face.

"Counting ours..." Hondo spoke slowly, "That makes seven. And we're not even finished yet."

All of the corpses they'd found were in varying stages of decay. The ones that must have been the first taken were unrecognizable already, while the later ones still had faces. Chris wasn't sure which was more disturbing. At least, she thought, it looked like they had simply fallen asleep and not woken up. Could be seen as peaceful, she told herself even though she knew better. They hadn't woken up because they hadn't had any food or water. That wasn't peaceful. That was suffering.

Finally, they reached the end of the hallway, the last boarded door. Hondo looked around, and Chris knew he was checking to see if she and Luca were ready. They both nodded, and the boys got down to prying the boards off with her on guard. Chris felt her heart start pounding in her chest and suddenly she was afraid what she'd find on the other side. As soon as Hondo opened the door, she set her rifle down and rushed toward them so she could see what was inside.

It was an old janitor's closet, the shelves still in place but nothing on them. The inside of the door held the same bloody scratches. It was dark, but she could just make out a person sitting on the floor, resting against the corner.

"Street!" she shouted, moving quickly through the doorway.

Luca turned away from the closet and she distantly heard him whisper, "Oh my God."

Chris fell to her knees beside her friend. His head was resting against the wall and his eyes were cold. She placed her hand on his cold cheek.

"Street," she said quieter this time, begging, "Can you hear me?"

It occurred to her to check his pulse and so she placed two fingers against his throat and pressed.

"Chris?" Hondo asked softly. She looked up at her boss frantically.

"He's alive! It's faint but it's there!"

Luca let out a deep breath and leaned into the wall. Hondo stepped aside to contact the others.

"Deac, Tan! We found him!"

There was silence for a long moment, then Deacon spoke, "Hondo... is he?"

"No, no," Hondo answered, "He's alive!"

"We're coming up!"

"No," Hondo ordered, "Deac, I need you to call 911. Tell them to get an ambulance here now! Tan, run to Black Betty and see if you can find any water."

"Copy!"

Chris heard the entire exchange go down but she wasn't really listening. She was too busy trying to wake her friend.

"Hey, man. Come on. Can you hear me? Please wake up," she asked, tapping his shoulder. When that didn't work, she tried shaking him gently.

Fast footsteps pounded down the hallway before Tan came skidding to halt in the doorway. He panted for breath for a moment before spotting Chris in the closet and handing the water off to her. Without him conscious, she couldn't safely give him the water. After a few minutes of trying and failing, she finally decided to settle in next to him on the floor and hold onto his arm.

"How much longer?" she asked the others.

"Deac," Hondo spoke into the comms by way of answering, "ETA on that ambulance?"

"Two more minutes. I'm at the front waiting for them. I also called Cortez and told her to get LAPD down here for the bodies. There's still four more we need to find."

"Copy. Keep me posted."

Two minutes later the ambulance arrived, as promised. The paramedics rushed in with a gurney, being led by Deacon. Chris jumped up to get out of their way.

"Sir," the female medic asked, "Sir, can you hear us?"

"He's been nonresponsive," Luca supplied.

She nodded and pulled out a penlight, opening one of Street's eyes and shining it in. Then she pinched his arm and watched as the skin didn't retake its shape. The male paramedic was just removing a blood pressure cuff from Street's other arm.

"Heart rate: 121 bpm. Blood pressure: 80 over 50," the man said.

"He's showing signs of hypovolemic shock. We have to get moving. Now."

The pair loaded Street onto the gurney and then rushed him down to the ambulance with the team right on their heels.

"If any of you are riding with, get in now," the woman ordered with her hand on the door.

"I'll go," Chris volunteered and hopped in as the paramedic shut the door. Right before it closed, she noticed Captain Cortez getting out of her car as another ambulance pulled into the parking lot followed by two squad cars. Probably a precaution in case any of the others were found alive.

She'd have to have the team update her later. Right now she had a job to do, to stay by her friend's side until he woke up.


	6. Saint Mary

They arrived fifteen minutes later at Saint Mary's Memorial Hospital in Long Beach. The doctors had wheeled Street through a double door and told Chris she couldn't follow anymore. Not knowing what else to do, she found a bench not too far away and sat down, staring at the wall directly across from her. There was a photo of a smiling doctor hanging there, in her pristine lab coat with shiny white teeth and perfect, wavy blonde hair. She knew it was bullshit. No doctor ever smiled that much. Chris read the paragraph on the poster and then counted the number of words. Then the number of letters. She was running out of ways to distract herself when her team came around the corner.

"Chris!" Luca shouted, giving a nearby nurse an apologetic look when she shooshed him. They all sped up when they spotted her until they stood in front of the bench. Deacon took the seat beside her and tried to get her to look at him rather than the poster.

"Anything?" Tan urged her.

"Nothing yet," she answered quietly, "They took him through there and nobody's told me anything yet."

"Should we call his mom?" Tan asked.

Everyone thought for a minute, mulling it over, then Hondo spoke first, "Not yet. Let's wait until he wakes up and see how he's doing at least. We all know she can be a lot to handle and we do not need to be putting added pressure on him right now."

"Not to mention, he doesn't want anything to do with her anyway," Chris muttered.

"Yea, but she's his mom," Tan argued, "She's worried."

"Look," Luca said, "We could tell her he's fine but she can't come down here, but we all know she'd come in anyway. I'm with Hondo, let's hold off for a bit."

"Excuse me?"

They all looked up to see a man in a lab coat standing just a few feet away. He looked to be in his early fifties, the edges of his brown hair just starting to grey. He had kind, blue eyes that made Chris feel like she could trust him.

"Are you Jim Street's family?" he asked with a calm voice.

"Yes," Hondo answered as Chris and Deacon rose from their seats.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Doctor Freely," the man answered, stepping forward to shake their hands, "I just wanted to tell you that we've got him all set up in a room and that you can visit him now."

"How is he?" Deacon asked.

"He's still unconscious. Honestly, we have no way of telling when he'll wake up. Unfortunately, he developed hypovolemic shock which, in case you don't know, is a very serious condition. Due to the dehydration, his blood pressure dropped significantly and his heart isn't able to pump enough blood or oxygen through his body. His organs started shutting down and he started going into acute renal failure. Basically, that's the kidneys. Now, we've got him on fluids to rehydrate him and we're hoping to be able to reverse the damage. But we won't really know until he wakes up. We're also trying to get some nutrients into him as well since it's apparent he hasn't eaten for some time either. For now, though, he's stable and looking good. You guys are lucky you found him when you did. A few more hours would've been too late."

The team was silent for a long time, taking in the information.

"Thank you, Doctor," Hondo finally answered, "We can go in now?"

"Yes, he's in the ICU. Just, keep it quiet. Not too much commotion," Doctor Freely explained. When they all nodded in agreement, he continued, "Come on, I'll take you to him. He's in room 312."

The sun was setting outside as they entered the room, the last rays of light filtering in through the slatted shades on the windows, casting golden bars on the linoleum floor. Doctor Freely flicked on the switch and the beams went away, chased out by the artificial light.  The room was painted an inviting minty color and there was another poster of that perfect doctor. Chris looked to her friend. He looked so small laying in the hospital bed, surrounded by the machines keeping him alive. He had two IVs hooked up to him which Chris supposed were the fluids and nutrients. And then there was the heart rate monitor, the leads going to his chest. It was beeping to fast. There was no steady beat like she expected, rather it was irregular and quick. Much too quick.

"Don't worry about the heart rate," Doctor Freely said, and when Chris looked up she saw that he was speaking to her, "It's a symptom of hypovolemic shock. His heart his trying to pump blood that just isn't liquid enough to move. Once he gets more fluids in his system, it'll clear right up."

She nodded her understanding, then moved to the chair beside the hospital bed. Leaning forward, she took hold of Street's hand that was closest to her. The doctor double checked that the IVs were set up correctly and then he left.

"Did, uh..." Chris asked after a while, "Did they find the others?"

"Yea," Hondo answered, "All of the missing people are accounted for."

"But they're not here."

It wasn't a question really. She knew the answer. Street barely made it out and he was the last one. Russell hadn't been taking care of them even when he was alive, the month of corpses told her that. He didn't give the families a time frame because he'd already set the countdown clock the minute he locked them in there.  _Pay before your child dies of thirst,_ Chris thought bitterly.

"No," Hondo confirmed, "They're not here."

Cortez and Hicks showed up at one point. Partly to get the mission debrief so they could be done with the paperwork, but Chris knew that part of them needed to see Street. After they got off, Mumford and a few of his guys came for a visit too.  _Our boy is popular,_ Chris thought, smiling softly.

Eventually, Deacon left to go home to his family. After seeing so many gruesome bodies today, he wanted to hold his kids close and tell his wife he loved her. The doctors kicked everyone out not long after that. Visiting hours were over. Chris wanted to stay, she wanted to argue with the doctors. But Hondo talked her down, again, and convinced her that she'd feel better if she got some rest.

She called out the next day. She hadn't been sick her entire career and decided now would be a good time to use a few of her sick days.

"At least if anyone asks," she joked to Street as she sat beside his bed the next morning, "I really am at a hospital."

She'd brought a few books that she'd been meaning to read and kicked back in her chair and tried to relax. The doctor had been right at least, his heart rate was noticeably slower that morning.

"I know you'd make fun of me for this," she said, "But I'm reading one of those romance novels they sell at magazine stands. I know, not usually my thing. But Kira loves this stuff for some reason that I will never understand. I wanted to try some of the stuff she and Ty like. Get to know them better, you know?"

By the end of the day, she had finished her book. It wasn't as bad as she had initially thought it would be. She didn't have any plans to read more in the future, of course, but she could honestly tell Kira that she enjoyed it. Eventually, the others came back in to see how their teammate was doing.

"I knew you weren't sick," Luca laughed as he entered the room.

"She is at a hospital though," Tan joked from behind him.

"That's what I said!" Chris agreed.

Hondo and Deacon chuckled like good-natured dads laughing at their kid's dumb jokes. It was nice, laughing together again. It had only been a week, but it felt like forever.

"How's he doing?" Hondo asked once they fell back into companionable silence.

"Better, I think," she answered, "His heart rate slowed down a lot. And one of the nurses, Joy, said his temperature is almost back to normal. He had a really high fever apparently. Apparently, he had seized twice last night after we left. But nothing like that has happened again since I've been here and Doctor Freely says that's a good sign."

"He hasn't woken up yet?" Deacon asked.

"No," Chris insisted, "Trust me, you would've heard from me if he had."

"He will soon," Hondo said confidently, "I have no doubt about it."

"Me neither," she agreed.

It went on like that for two days. Chris called out again the next day, sat by Street's bed and read her books, and then the team came to visit again in the afternoon. When Chris confessed to Hondo that she was worried about using her sick days despite being in perfect health, he told her that Captain Cortez and Hicks knew what she was doing. They both had agreed that a family member in the ICU was an appropriate use of sick days, particularly when it was a team member like Chris, who had never so much as called out with a cold.

Luca had apparently brought a deck of cards to pass the time. So they all found a place to sit, Chris remained in her chair while Deac and Hondo found some unused ones lying around and Tan and Luca had to sit on the other vacant bed in the other, vacant, bed that occupied the room. They busied themselves playing Go Fish. Luca had suggested War but Deacon, ever the father, insisted that the game was too loud and that they had to play something quieter. He had forgotten that Luca was competitive and had a natural talent for making even the quietest of games loud. Joy had to come in and tell them to keep it down twice. Fortunately, Chris had created a sort of friendship with her throughout the day and was able to placate the nurse pretty easily.

"Seriously though dude, keep it down," Tan insisted.

"I'll keep it down the moment you stop cheating," Luca shot back.

"I wasn't cheat-"

"Talk to the hand, Tan."

"Talk to the... Are you five?!"

 

From beside her, Chris swore she felt movement. Worried that Street was having another seizure, she dropped her cards in her lap and turned around only to find warm brown eyes looking up at her.

"Chris?" Street asked, though his voice was quiet and raspy like his throat was still dry. All noise behind her stopped as everyone realized what had distracted her.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed, taking all her effort to remember to keep her voice down.

"I'll go get the doctor," Tan declared as he rushed out of the room.

"What happened?" Street asked, looking around at the other occupants in the room.

He wasn't going to stay awake very long, Chris could tell. He was speaking slowly and his eyes were only half open.

"It's okay," she said softly, resting a hand on his shoulder, "We'll explain everything later. Just rest. We're all here."

Street nodded slightly, a fraction of a movement and then he stopped fighting to keep his eyes open and drifted back to sleep. This time though, she wasn't worried. This time, she knew he'd be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around with me! I think only a few more chapters. Two. Maybe three? We'll see.


	7. Joy

Everyone relaxed a little bit after that. A little bit of the tension in the room melted away. They all had to go home a few hours later, but they had gotten lucky with the timing and the next day was their day off anyway. Chris woke up early so she could get back as soon as visiting hours started.

When Chris walked in, Street was awake again and joking with the nurse, Joy, as she checked his chart and IVs. She was laughing as she worked.

"Alright," Chris laughed, "You're definitely feeling better."

Jim looked over at her where she still stood in the doorway and smiled at her.

"Looking better too," Joy commented, setting the clipboard down in the holder at the end of the bed, "Your fever is completely gone and your blood pressure is almost back to normal."

She headed toward the door, clapping Chris on the shoulder as she went, "Funny friend you got there."

"He's not that funny," Chris joked, earning another laugh from the nurse as she went down the hall.

"What are you doing back here so early?" Street asked as Chris took her seat beside him, "Don't you have a life to live?"

"Not at the moment," she said, resting a hand on his shoulder, "How are you?"

He shrugged, "I'm tired. The doctor guy says I probably will be for a while."

"Yea, well, you-"

"When can I go home?"

Chris paused for a second, regarding Street thoughtfully. He did look tired like all the energy had been zapped out of him. It freaked her out a little since she knew he'd been sleeping for days. His eyes still didn't have their shine back. But, she told herself, he's awake now. He'll be better soon.

"I don't know. It could be a few more days," she explained, "You almost died, Street."

He broke eye contact when she said that, turning his head toward the window on his right.

"What happened anyway?"

 _OK,_ Chris thought, _sensitive subject. Tread carefully._

"What do you remember?"

"Um..." he squinted at the window, thinking for a second, "Not much? I was leaving Stubby's and I guess some guy hit me in the head with something? Then, uh... I was in this dark room I think. I don't know, then I woke up here. How long ago was that?"

He turned to look at her then and she wanted to lie to him. To tell him that everything he had described was just yesterday. That he had just left Stubby's the night before and was in the hospital because of a concussion and nothing more. That some mugger attacked him in the parking lot. She wanted to tell him a lie and he'd believe her because he didn't want all of this be true any more than she did. But she just couldn't do it.

"You left Stubby's a little over a week ago."

When he didn't respond she got worried for a moment and she started thinking that maybe they should have put this discussion off a bit for when he was feeling better. For when he was discharged from the hospital. He looked down at his hands and started picking at his nails.

"That Echo Park guy from the news?" he asked after a long silence.

"Yea."

"Did you find the others? Are they?" he looked up at her hopefully.

"They didn't make it," she whispered.

She'd never know what he was going to say after that because that was when Luca and Tan arrived. Loudly.

"You're up!" Luca exclaimed. The boys came over excitedly and Tan clapped Street on the shoulder.

"It's so good to see you, dude!"

"Yea, it's good to see you too," Street answered quietly. Chris could tell he was trying to joke with them like normal. To pretend that he wasn't just having a heavy conversation with her, pretend that he was okay. It didn't quite work when his voice was still dry and raspy or when his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Luca and Tan were content to pretend too it seems.

"So we ran into your nurse in the hallway," Luca joked, "I think she likes you."

Street chuckled, "No she doesn't. She's like fifty years old."

"Yea, but you've got that whole sad and injured vibe going. Girls love that shit," Tan said.

"Okay," Chris said, rising from her seat, "You guys, hold down the fort for a minute. I'm gonna go get some coffee."

"Hey," Luca called, "Could you get me some?"

"Me too?" Tan asked.

Once she was in the hallway, safely out of sight, she fell back against the wall. Bringing her hands up to cover her face, she took a deep, calming breath through her fingers.

"You okay, hun?" a sweet voice asked.

Lowering her hands, Chris saw Nurse Joy standing beside her, a concerned look on her face.

"Yea, I'm fine," Chris answers.

"It's hard. I know," Joy said, moving closer to lean against the wall next to Chris.

Joy was pretty. Not model pretty, but in a modest way. She had a pale round face with bright green eyes and long chestnut hair tied up in a neat bun. Her mint scrubs probably made her look a little wider than she actually was. She was a little bit shorter than Chris, the top of her head reaching about Chris' nose.

"I just..." Chris said slowly, "I'm not sure how to do this. In my line of work, I never see the aftermath. We rescue the person and get them to their families and that's it. I don't know how so many people get through this. Too many people have to go through this. After everything that happened, I know he's going to need my help. But I don't know how to help him. And really, I'm the lucky one. There are twelve families that are grieving right now because we were too late to help them."

"You want to know the secret to getting through something like this?"

"What?" Chris asked earnestly, turning to see Joy's face.

"Love," she explained, laughing when Chris made a face, "I know it sounds cheesy. But it's true. I've been a nurse for thirty years and do you know what I've seen in these halls? I've walked in on more sincere prayers than I think most churches hear. I've seen more dedication and commitment than I'm sure wedding halls ever see. People standing by the ones they love when they need them most. Patients who were told they may never walk again, taking those first steps with their family by their side. That's the thing about hospitals, we're a place of healing but a lot of that healing doesn't come from us. Love doesn't fix everything, but it helps a great deal."

Joy had a nostalgic smile on her face, no doubt thinking back to those moments that she clearly held dearly.

"I do know that your friend? He's going to be okay. He's alive because you and your team found him in time. And as long as there's life, there's hope. It might take some time, it will definitely take some work, but eventually, everything is going to be alright."

"How do you know that?" Chris asked desperately.

"That love I'm talking about," Joy answered, "I see it in you. I see it in everyone who has come to see him since he got here. Trust me, darling, I know these things."

"Thank you," Chris said, "I feel a little better now."

"Making people feel better is my job," Joy laughed, "I've got to get back to work. Take care of yourself too. Alright?"

Chris allowed a small smile to cross her face as the nurse walked away. She pushed herself off the wall, squaring her shoulders, and went to get the promised coffee from the vending machine down the hall. Joy's words had helped a lot and once she had some caffeine her system, she'd be ready to conquer anything, even this.

 


	8. Jell-O

Chris had to go to work the next day, but she came back with Hondo in the evening when they got off work. Street was feeling better and was actually sitting up in bed, eating a cup of green Jell-O when they entered.

"They're actually letting you eat real food now?" Chris asked, picking up an unopened cup from the tray on the bed to inspect it.

"Yea, but just soft stuff," he complained, giving the Jell-O an annoyed look.

Hondo laughed, "Hey, man, Jell-O's some good stuff. Don't knock it."

"You want some? Be my guest."

Chris was glad to see Street in such high spirits, Jell-O dependence notwithstanding. He wasn't so pale anymore and she noticed that the heart rate monitor was beating steadily finally.

The deck of cards that Luca had brought was still sitting on a low bedside table. Hondo walked over and picked up the small box.

"Anyone up for a game?"

They moved the Jell-O off the dinner tray and placed the cards there, Street moving it to sit beside him on the bed rather than on his lap. The small group decided to play a few games of Rummy and they managed to do so civilly without Luca's competitive attitude in the room. Hondo had won two rounds and they were in the middle of a third, Street refusing to quit without winning at least once, when they were interrupted by some commotion out in the hallway. Chris set her deck facedown in her seat with a warning for the boys not to cheat and peek at her cards, then went over to the doorway and poked her head out.

Down the hall, she could just see the corner of the reception desk and Karen Street yelling at the poor nurse trying to calm her down.

"Uh... Street," Chris said slowly, turning back to face them, "Your mom is harassing a nurse."

"She's doing what?"

"I called her last night and told her that we found you and that you were doing good," Hondo explained.

"So she came down here and decided to make a scene?" Chris asked, "I should go help out the nurse. I'll tell her you're back here."

"Wait," Street called just as Chris went out the door.

She halted in her steps and spun on her heel, walking back toward Street, "What?"

"Can you tell her I don't want to see her?" he asked, hurrying to explain when Chris gave him a confused look, "But in a nice way. She's... she's kind of hard to deal with and I just don't have the energy right now."

"Sure," Chris agreed, "Of course. I'll be right back."

"Actually," Hondo said, rising from his seat, "You stay here. I got this one."

"Oh yea," Chris called after him, "Try not to enjoy it too much."

Hondo laughed as he disappeared into the hall. To be honest, everyone on the team would jump at the opportunity to tell off Street's mother.

"Do you think she'll be upset?" Street asked her after a moment, and then the yelling in the hallway got louder.

"Definitely," Chris said as she stared at the doorway, but quickly turned back to her friend, "But don't worry about it. You have to do what's best for you. If that means keeping her at a distance, then that's fine."

He was fiddling with the edge of the blanket in his lap, pulling out the loose threads.

"Then why do I feel bad about it?"

"Because you're a good person and you care about her in spite of everything."

Chris moved back to her chair, moving her cards so she wouldn't sit on them.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Ok? You can explain everything to her when you get out of here if you want."

"I don't know," he answered thoughtfully, "When I moved out of my apartment, I told her I couldn't be around her anymore. I guess I'm just trying to figure out if all of this changes anything."

"I wish I could answer that for you," Chris responded, "If it helps, she did everything she could to help us find you. She was really worried."

He didn't answer verbally, choosing to simply nod instead. The shouting in the hallway had stopped and that was when Hondo came back.

"Alright, that's done. She's gone."

"Thank you," Street said quietly.

Chris got the feeling that nobody really wanted to play cards anymore, so she began to gather them up and stuff them back in the box. Doctor Freely came in a few minutes later.

"Hondo, Chris. It's good to see you," Doctor Freely greeted, shaking their hands, "I wasn't expecting you here, but I suppose I should have. One of you is always here."

"Well, he is a trouble maker," Chris laughed, "He can't be left alone too long."

"Oh, I don't doubt it. I'm glad you're here actually," Doctor Freely smiled, then looked over to Street, "Everything is looking great. All your vitals are almost back to normal and you are officially out of the woods. You can get out of here tomorrow morning."

Street looked to Chris in disbelief when she admittedly squealed and jumped into the air.

"Alright!" Hondo exclaimed, "That's what I'm talking about!"

"Really?!" Street asked hopefully.

"No joke," Doctor Freely said, "Now you can't go back to work for a few weeks. You're going to need to get some R and R for a little bit. You're still a few pounds underweight and you need to build back up your protein stores before you even think of doing anything physical. But you're good to go from here."

"Thank you, Doctor," Chris and Street said at the same time, laughing when they realized what they'd done.

"My pleasure," he answered, "Now, I'll leave you to celebrate. I have some patients who still need me to attend to."

Doctor Freely left the room and Chris couldn't resist another little jump for joy. Hondo took out his phone to call the team.

"You excited?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Of course. Though apparently not as much as you."

"Well," she explained, "You can't jump around. Your doctor would kill you."

"I think that's against the Hippocratic Oath," Street joked.

"Oh, he'd find a way."

The nurses brought in more Jell-O cups and everyone passed them around like they were champagne cups. They didn't have enough spoons since technically only Street was supposed to be eating them, so Hondo and Chris had a slurping race. Chris won that one.

"I may not be able to beat you at Rummy, but at least I have one thing on you!"

"Nobody makes Hondo lose," he laughed, "You're getting extra laps at our next training event."

"He's speaking in the first person now, Chris," Street said, "You're in trouble."

Eventually, the nurses kicked them out again, though Chris noticed they gave them an extra thirty minutes that night. Before she left, Chirs walked over to Street's bed one more time and bent down to give him a big hug.

"Hey, what's this for?" he asked, though he hugged back just at tightly.

"Just because. I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered and then she left.

 


	9. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me so long XD I'm in the process of moving so it's kinda hectic but I did it! This is the last chapter!!

Chris had to get up at an ungodly hour the next morning. The sun wasn't even fully in the sky yet. As she was stepping out the front of her apartment building, the sky was just breaking into bright pink and orange gradients as the light moved upwards. Her and Luca had agreed to get up early to bring Street home before they had to head into work. She was a little concerned about leaving him home alone all day, she'd much rather pick him up that afternoon when Luca can stay with him at their house and keep an eye on him. But the doctor insisted that it was safe and Street was very against staying in that hospital any long than absolutely necessary.

Getting into her truck, she drove over to Luca's and picked him up. He was very talkative for it being so early, and she attributed it to the giant plastic mug of coffee he had in his hands.

"I stocked up on health food last night," he told her animatedly, waving the hand that wasn't holding the mug around, "The pantry was full of junk food, so I went and got some good stuff for Street. I don't think he's gonna like it, but he was complaining to me that the Freely said to keep his diet low in processed foods for a while."

"What?" Chris feigned astonishment, "You mean two confirmed bachelors are going to have to eat something green for once?"

"Well, he is," Luca laughed, "I'm not touching the stuff."

Hospitals had this rule against patients walking out on their own, so when Chris pulled up to the front, Street was waiting outside in a wheelchair with Joy. They were laughing together and his smile widened when he recognized the truck. Someone had brought him clothes, probably Luca given they lived together, so he was wearing a navy t-shirt and a pair of jeans rather than a hospital gown.

"Can I stand up now?" Chris heard him ask.

Joy laughed, "Of course, hun, you have two working legs."

Luca hopped out of the cab and ran over to them, "Sup, dude! You ready?"

"More than," Street commented as Joy took his arm and helped him get up from the chair. After being confined in a closet for almost a week, and then in a hospital bed for a stretch of time after that, he needed a little bit of help getting up sometimes. He'd gotten better since he first woke up. A few days ago, his legs had been like jelly and he's needed a nurse to help him walk to the bathroom.

Once he was standing, Luca put out his hand and grabbed onto Street's bringing him in for what Chris called a 'dude hug', patting his back and then letting him go. Chris decided for a real hug, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing tightly. After a second, he returned it before pulling away.

"You just saw me last night," he laughed.

"Yea, but now you're not in the hospital," she countered. He nodded, accepting her explanation with a big grin on his face. Before heading to the truck, he turned back to Joy, reaching out to shake her hand.

"Thank you," he said when she returned the gesture, "For everything."

"My pleasure," she smiled, "Now go home and take it easy for a while, will you? I mean this in the best possible way but I never want to see you again."

Street laughed, "Of course. I have the same sentiment."

They moved over to the truck, Luca opening the back door for Street and helping him hop in since the truck was so high. Chris hung back, giving Joy a quick hug.

"Thank you, Joy."

"You don't need to thank me. It's my job. Take care of our boy, yea?"

"Always do," Chris smiled, going around the truck and getting into the driver's seat.

The ride back to the house was quiet, Street mostly looking out the window and watching the road outside as they drove. Luca kept trying to start a conversation, but getting sidetracked every few minutes to look in the back seat and check on his friend.

"I brought some water in case you're thirsty," he said.

"I'm good," Street answered, keeping his view on the window, "I'll get some when we get home."

Chris pulled up to the curb outside their house and the trio headed inside. Luca immediately went over to the couch and arranged the pillows. He ran down the hall to grab a blanket, laying it over the back of the couch.

"Let me run and grab you some snacks. I got all that health food the doctor told you to eat," Luca fussed, turning to the kitchen, "And I'll grab you a glass of water too!"

"Luca, Luca, wait," Street called after him, stopping the other man in his tracks, "I'm good, okay? You don't need to worry about me."

"Well, just let me-"

"No, just go to work okay? I don't want you guys to be late."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay by yourself?" Chris asked from where she still stood by the front door.

"Yes," he answered earnestly, "I am an adult. I'm probably just going to take a nap, to be honest."

"OK," Luca reluctantly conceded, finally turning away from the kitchen and coming back toward them, "But promise me you'll drink something first and that you'll eat  _something_ today."

"I promise," Street swore.

"Alright," Luca accepted it and went to grab his gear, shouting from his room, "I can bring the others by tonight. We can celebrate."

"Actually," Street said quietly when Luca came back in with his duffel bag, "Could we wait a few days maybe? I kind of just want to keep it quiet right now."

Luca paused to regard his teammate, "Yea, of course, man. Whatever you need."

"Thanks," Street responded, then after everyone was quiet for a minute he added, "Now, go! It's almost eight!"

"See you tonight, dude," Luca said, running out the door to Chris' truck again.

"I'll come by to check on you during my lunch," she said as she moved for the door as well.

"You don't need-"

"Hey," she stopped him, turning back to face him, "I know I don't need to. But I'll feel better knowing you're doing okay."

He watched her a moment, no doubt sizing up how adamant she was. Then he sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Okay."

"Great," she smiled, "I'll see you in a bit. Don't get into trouble."

"You know I can't promise that."

Chris laughed as she shut the front door, jogging down the lawn to her pickup.

"You really think he'll be okay?" Luca asked as she passed him, pausing her in her steps as they both turned to regard the house.

She took a deep breath, looking to her friend's worried face. Chris couldn't blame him. She was concerned too. Leaving Street alone right now was breaking something in her heart. They almost lost him and him being out of her sight right now was difficult. She needed him there so she could see him and know he was actually alive. And she knew that Luca felt the same way. But they couldn't do that. They had to get back to work and he couldn't come with them. Not yet. That day would come soon though, of that she was certain.

"I have no doubt about it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm debating a sequel? I kinda wanna do an aftermath fic? It might be a few days, but let me know what you think.


End file.
